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Martin looks strong in first appearance out of 'pen

Martin looks strong in first appearance out of 'pen

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Sandberg on Martin's pitching 1:53

9/3/13: Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg talks about the pitching performance of Ethan Martin in his teams' loss to the Nationals

By Todd Zolecki
/
MLB.com |

PHILADELPHIA -- Most people that watched rookie right-hander Ethan Martin make seven starts for the Phillies thought he eventually would be great in the bullpen. He has overpowering stuff and typically cruises the first time through a lineup.

He sure looked good Tuesday.

He made his first big league relief appearance in the sixth inning of an 8-2 loss to the Padres at Citizens Bank Park. He threw a perfect inning, striking out one batter. Martin threw just 10 pitches, all of them for strikes.

"Martin was down in the zone," Phillies interim manager Ryne Sandberg said. "That was impressive. If that's something he can do out of the bullpen in his first attempt, that's very good. Fastball was down. Breaking ball was down.

"As a starter, he was showing that kind of control early in his starts. I don't think it was surprising. What was real noticeable was he was down below the knees with his fastball."

Todd Zolecki is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.